Administering fluids containing medicine or nutrition to a patient is well known in the art. Typically, fluid is delivered to the patient by an administration feeding set loaded to a flow control apparatus, such as a peristaltic pump, which delivers fluid to the patient at a controlled rate of delivery. The administration feeding set, when loaded to the flow control apparatus, comprises tubing that delivers fluid from a fluid source to a patient.
A valve mechanism may be located on the tubing for permitting or preventing fluid flow communication through the administration feeding set. Such a valve mechanism may be automatically operated to alternate positions that either prevent or permit fluid flow communication through the tubing when engaged to the flow control apparatus.
Often times it may be difficult to identify administration feeding sets having different functional configurations for performing different kinds of tasks since each type of administration feeding set has a physical appearance that may be indistinguishable from other kinds of administration feeding sets. Accordingly, it is important that the healthcare practitioner be able to readily identify the functional configuration of the administration feeding set being loaded to the flow control apparatus.
Therefore, there is a need for an administration feeding set having a means for identifying the functional configuration of the feeding set and having a valve mechanism that can prevent disengagement of the administration feeding set loaded to the flow control apparatus.